7th Grade

7th Grade Social Studies Class Description

Course Description: 

In this course, students will explore the strands of Social Studies (Geography, History, Political Science, and Economics), building critical thinking skills that will facilitate global and local thinking. Students will do so by studying the world and its diverse regions through a contemporary lens that showcases various cultures and how the layers of a society affect an individual’s life. 

Essential Learning Goals:

1.Social Studies Content (Geography, History, Political Science, and Economics)

• Students will learn, understand, and use Social Studies content as the foundation of knowledge and understanding that will allow them to think critically and make connections within and among regions, societies, and cultures.

2. Critical Thinking

• Students will transfer, connect, and apply content knowledge to essential questions that require the demonstration of critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, and forming an opinion in regards to the layers of society in diverse regions, societies, and cultures.

3. Communication

• Students will communicate their knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking in various ways including verbal, written, and artistic forms.

4. Inquiry

• Students will explore topics and gain 21st Century skills through investigations based on essential questions.

Major Assessment Evidence:

Five Themes of Geography Project and assessment

Students will apply the Five Themes of Geography (Location, Place, Human Environment Interaction, Movement, Region) to real world scenarios and new locations in the United States.

ELGs: Critical Thinking, Social Studies Content, Communication

Geographical landforms/Climate

Students will have a quiz on landform vocabulary

ELG: Social Studies Content

Students will compare different types of maps of the continental United States (population, physical, political, technological)

ELG: Critical Thinking, Communication

Climate change inquiry on effects and current research

                        ELG: Social Studies Content, Inquiry 

Types of Government/Intro to US Government 

Students will learn about different forms of government with focus on the US Government. They will   

apply this knowledge on a CSA asking them to identify defining characteristics of each type.

                        ELGs: Critical Thinking and Social Studies Content

Economics 

                        Students will apply their economic learning and reasoning to a CSA that has application based    

                        questions like supply and demand scenarios.

                        ELGs: Critical Thinking and Social Studies Content

   US Geography

Students will create a US road trip visiting six different destinations within three states in a two     

                       week time span and visiting one natural setting

ELG: Critical thinking, Social Studies Content, Communication

Native American Unit: paper, Discussion on Columbus Day and use of Native   

            American Mascots and names as nicknames

ELGs: Critical Thinking, Social Studies Content, Communication

Central and South America

Students will learn about migration in Central and South America through

                       Enrique’s Journey book and a Choice Board Project

ELGs: Social Studies Content, Critical Thinking, Communication, Inquiry

      Africa and Colonization

Students will write about the causes, effects and consequences of the Colonization of Africa

ELGs: Social Studies Content, Communication

Culminating project

Design a restaurant that incorporates themes of geography and the elements of culture 

within 3 different countries of the same latitude

ELGs: Inquiry, Communication

WWII and the Holocaust

Students will write a response to a Holocaust survivor’s story.

ELGs: Communication

Students will create a virtual museum exhibit to explain a topic they chose about WWII

ELGs: Social Studies Content, Communication

Key Course Learning Experiences:

• Reading, using, synthesizing, and understanding various sources for content and inquiry

• Writing responses to inquiry and reflection questions

• Evidence based writing and discussion

• Using maps and data to gain analysis skills

• Comparing and Contrasting

• Analyzing cause and effect situations and solutions and barriers to issues

• Understanding various perspectives and biases

• Forming and communicating conclusions and opinions

• Applying content to world and self

• Disciplinary literacy reading and writing 

• Note Taking